IRL Shooter bringing Patient 0 to Sydney

IRL Shooter is bringing its real-life zombie-shooter event to Sydney in 2014, with tickets to go on sale soon.

(Credit: IRL Shooter)

In two weeks, Sydneysiders are in for a treat: tickets to IRL Shooter's Patient 0 will go on sale on Pozible.

The original game, which blasted through its AU$10,000 Pozible funding goal to score AU$$243,480 and over 6000 Melbourne players, ran from October 2012 to January 2013. It saw gamers using laser-tag technology combined with realistic weapon props and zombies in a spectacular real-life first-person-shooter event.

Having learned from that experience, creators Drew Hobbs and David Leadbetter (who we caught up with in 2012, before the game launched) have made several tweaks for a much smoother game.

The new M4 Carbine assault rifle.
(Credit: IRL Shooter)

"What we did well in Melbourne was an immersive event," Leadbetter told CNET Australia. "What we didn't do well was the gaming side, so now we've rebuilt everything from the ground up."

This means all-new weapons — the standard-issue M4 Carbine assault rifles are now fitted with a recoil mechanism, smart-swappable magazines, muzzle flare and single- or burst-fire modes, as well as being lighter to carry around. IRL Shooter has also created what it is calling "The Pain Belt": an optional vest worn over the clothes that delivers a painful (but non-dangerous) electric shock whenever the player gets attacked by a zombie or shot (you can see it in action in the video below; warning, there's some cussing).

The map has been upgraded, too: players will enter the location in groups of six and can choose different paths to take, solving puzzles and completing missions delivered by non-player characters (NPCs) that differ according to the route chosen.

IRL Shooter has kept some details back, saving it for the launch of ticket sales: pricing, the location, date and some weapons-related info. These will drop when the Pozible campaign goes live on Monday, 16 December. For reference, though, the Melbourne tickets were AU$100 for early backers and AU$125 at full price.